Two Sides of the Coin
by RukiaKuchiki926
Summary: "She wanted to run. She wanted to scream at the gods for the amount of misfortune that had just been laid upon her. What on earth could a nobleman, a Kuchiki, want with her, Rukia from the slums?" When a non-outstanding student is adopted into the noble Kuchiki clan, the newly acquainted siblings have their reservations about the situation.
1. Tails

She wanted to run.

She wanted to scream at the gods for the amount of misfortune that had just been laid upon her.

What on earth could a _nobleman_, a _Kuchiki_, want with her, Rukia from the slums?

The door in front of her was mundane enough, wooden with paper screens, like any other in the school, but she was afraid of what was behind it.

She clenched her fists into her red _hakama_, taking a deep breath. All she could do was apologize for her transgression. She had no idea what it was, but why else would a noble family be here to speak with her? That's right; all she had to do was apologize…

Rukia slid down to her knees in a bow before the closed door, told her heart beat to slow the hell down, "Rukia of Inuzuri is here, sir. I humbly ask permission to enter."

"You may enter," said an elderly voice through the door. She inhaled, gulping back her fear, and opened the door.

She didn't look at the people in the room before turning around immediately, still on her knees, and quietly shut it before turning around and stooping into a low bow.

"Rise. We can hardly speak with you if your voice is directed at the floorboards," said the same gravelly voice, though not without some warmth.

Rukia nodded, lifting her head. Her eyes flickered upward, trying to take in the people as quickly as possible. There were two shinigami in _shihakushou, _but they didn't seem to be anything special. There was a man slumped with age, stern eyes behind a pair of glasses. He must be the owner of the voice that had spoken to her.

And then there was the fourth man. She quickly took in the white _haori_ he was wearing; not marked like a captain's, but decorated like a noble's. _'He must be the important one here,'_ Rukia concluded quickly before lifting her eyes to match his.

Instantaneously she was overcome with a crushing power. _'Reiatsu,'_ she thought, the arms supporting her from the ground began to shake; she was gasping, trying to regain control of her body. _'It must be his,' _she realized, her vision going blurry, _'What incredible power…and it's being directed at me…He must be furious…'_ She was so close to fading into darkness…

"Byakuya-sama," the old man said quietly, "She cannot right herself under this pressure,"

As suddenly as switching off a light, the pressure was gone. Rukia struggled to her feet, her eyes back to the ground. What had she _done_? Was she about to be killed by this overwhelmingly powerful shinigami noble? Was he a captain?

The old man spoke, "We are glad you could make this meeting on such short notice, young lady."

"It is-," her voice rasped, dry. She coughed, "It is my honor to meet you," she bowed again.

"I suppose we should get straight to business," the man continued, as though he hadn't heard her speak, "As you know, we are from the Kuchiki-_ke_. This is Kuchiki Byakuya-taichou of the 6th Squad, and he is the lord of our house,"

Rukia's heart skipped a beat – he _was _a captain, "It is an honor." Another bow.

Once again she was all but ignored, "You possess certain qualities, Rukia, which our lord finds suitable for our house. We offer you a proposal today: if you find it favorable, you would be allowed to join our clan, as Byakuya-sama's younger sister."

'_What the hell?!'_

"W-what?" Rukia asked, sure someone was playing a prank on her. Was it some of the nobles training at the school, trying to make her feel insignificant? Like someone who deserved _pity_ from a noble clan? She debated whether or not to feel insulted that a stranger had just referred to her as 'Rukia', with no honorific. Was that allowed for nobility, who were so high above everyone else?

The old man sighed, smiling in a way that almost seemed false, "It's just as I said. Should you accept our offer, you would join the Kuchiki-_ke_, and therefore adopt our name. We'll have them graduate you right away, and arrange your acceptance into the _gotei juusantai_. You would be expected to always honor the clan and our laws, of course, but that is the offer as it stands."

Rukia stood there shock still, staring downward. Adopted? Into the Kuchiki-_ke_? For what? What qualities did she possess that would make this captain, this _lord of a noble clan_, take any notice of her? It was stupid! She could almost feel the powerful man's, Kuchiki Byakuya's, eyes leering at her icily. His _reiatsu _was still there – suppressed, but she knew how potent it really was now. If he wanted her to be his sister, then why the hell did he practically attack her from across the room the second she walked in? What was this guy's deal?!

She cleared her throat, considering if it would be horrendous to tell these nobles to shove off with their offer, "I—,"

"Rukia! How do you like me now!" the door slammed open, and Rukia whirled around, seeing Renji running into the room, "I passed the second phase! Now if I pass the…next…"

He had stopped, and was staring at the scene before him, his beyond excited expression frozen on his face. She met his now-confused eyes for a second before turning away. What was Renji going to think? He was so proud to be doing so well…so ready to graduate ahead of her…

"Oh," the old man said, his voice suddenly turning from vaguely friendly to icy, "it seems we've been interrupted."

Rukia heard Kuchiki Byakuya shift in front of her, before walking towards the door, the swish of his _haori_ catching briefly on her leg before unfurling away.

The old man started to follow, but returned his attention to Rukia. She looked towards him, daring to look him in the face for a moment, "Well then," he said, "we shall be awaiting a favorable response," some of his previous amiability crept back into his voice and half-real smile.

She felt the captain's _reiatsu_ spike again, not as high as before, but definitely less suppressed. She stood there frozen. This guy's sister? Did she want to be the sister of this cold nobleman? Did she want him as a _brother_? Wasn't a brother supposed to be a little more…kind?

'_Like Renji,'_ she thought to herself, her heart clenching. She turned, walking a few meters before stopping in front of her best friend, who stood stiff on the spot, trembling slightly. That man's power was too much for him too, it seemed…

"Renji," she said, trying to bring him back to earth.

He jumped slightly, "Oh, Rukia. Pretty heavy atmosphere back there, huh? What were you talking about just now?"

Rukia looked away. Could she tell him the truth? She didn't want to abandon the only person she knew, the person she'd grown up with. Could she trade this brother, who she'd survived for years in the slums with – laughing, fighting, living – for the stoic captain she knew nothing about?

Renji grew impatient, sounding concerned, "What the-?!"

"The Kuchiki-_ke_," she interrupted, not looking at him, "asked me to be adopted into their clan."

Renji didn't say anything. Rukia continued, feeling drained and weightless with the absence of the captain's omnipresent _reiatsu_, "'We'll have them graduate you right away', they said, 'and arrange for your acceptance into the _gotei juusantai._'"

She felt the tears coming. Dammit! She couldn't cry. She was strong! And now that her head was becoming clearer, she was starting to become more certain – no way in hell was she choosing nobility over Renji. Why should she?! "Renji, I-,"

His strong hands clapped onto her shoulders, "You did it, Rukia!"

Rukia looked up, shocked. He looked ecstatic.

"The Kuchiki-_ke_'s one of the top noble families! You hit the jackpot! If you get adopted into a place like that, you can spoil yourself stupid!" He waved his hand around dramatically, as though his joy could not be contained.

'_This is what you think, is it, Renji?' _Rukia thought, the tears starting to line the rims of her eyes, _'Do you care so little that you'd be happy to send me away to the nobles? You'd rather that, than brag to me every day about how you're so superior?' _Her eyes threatened to overflow, _'You fool.'_

"_Sou ka_," Rukia murmured, fighting to keep her expression blank. He was still rambling on about how jealous he was. The fool.

She raised her hand to his arm, lifting it from her shoulder. He cut off mid-laugh, watching her push his arm back to him.

"_Arigatou_," she whispered, letting him go, and running out of the room.

Only then did she let the tears fall freely.


	2. Heads

He wanted to run.

He wanted to scream at the gods for the amount of misfortune that had just been laid upon him.

Hisana was gone. Too many times to count in the past year, Byakuya had woken up in cold sweat, reaching out for his wife. But he found the other side of the bed cold with her absence every time.

He still remembered the morning she had died as vividly as though it were yesterday. He remembered the pain, the guilt, the overwhelming sorrow.

_She_ was sorry? For not being able to repay the love he had given her? It haunted him. If she died thinking she had been anything less than the most perfect being in existence, then he had failed _her_.

And then there was her dying wish, which he was about to fulfill.

"_Byakuya-sama, please find my sister."_

He had done so. And that was the saddest thing of all. Had she held on for just one more year, she could be standing here with him, ready to hold the sister she had searched for all those years. But fate had been cruel.

"_And if you find her, please do not tell her I was her sister."_

No matter how often he had tried to convince his wife that she had only done what she thought was best, her guilt had never faded. If anything, it had grown. But he would respect Hisana's wish, no matter how much his heart longed to tell the girl waiting outside the door that someone had spent her life devoted to her, dying for her.

"_So please, I hope you will let her call you 'brother', Byakuya-sama."_

"Rukia of Inuzuri is here, sir," a woman's voice said, deeper and yet richer than he had expected, "I humbly ask permission to enter."

The elderly servant standing beside him turned towards the door, "You may enter,"

Byakuya inhaled, preparing himself. He did not know what to expect. Hisana had said Rukia shared her likeness, the one time she had spotted her in Inuzuri. But how much did they truly resemble each other? Surely if they were uncannily alike, among her many trips to Inuzuri, someone would have mistaken Hisana for Rukia, and they would have found each other.

The door slid open, and a dark-haired girl slipped inside. She kept her head down as she closed the door and bowed to them.

His eyebrows knitted together, though he tried to keep his face blank; they _were _similar. They shared the same petite frame, and Rukia even kept her hair the same length, coincidentally. But all siblings could be so vaguely alike.

The servant spoke again, kindly. Byakuya was surprised, though not unhappy, that he seemed to be extending unusual respect to someone not of the nobility, "Rise. We can hardly speak with you if your voice is directed at the floorboards."

He watched her slowly raise her head, appraising the other three men standing around him with certain apprehension. And then she raised her eyes to his.

Whatever he had been expecting, it had not been this. He lost himself, his _reiatsu_ suddenly uncontrolled, but he barely noted it. _'They could be twins,'_ he thought, horrified.

He was looking directly into the eyes of his beloved wife, but within her eyes was a different story. Hisana's had always exuded warmth when she would look up at him – on their nightly walks through the grounds of the manor, beaming up at him when he returned home, smiling sleepily when they laid in bed at night. Rukia's eyes were becoming more foreign by the second. They stared up at him, fixed; a faraway emotion lit in the depths, becoming more and more frozen with what he realized with alarm was fear.

"Byakuya-sama. She cannot right herself under this pressure."

Byakuya's thoughts came to a halt, quickly getting his _reiatsu_ under control, reeling in the power which he now realized had been affecting Hisana's younger sister so far that she was on the verge of collapse.

She walked towards them, her eyes now cast downward. The servant began to tell her of their purpose here, and she responded to him in her now-cracked voice. It occurred to him how odd it was that he was meeting his sister-in-law for the first time, although she could not be allowed to know that.

He felt his heart sink as he observed her. Her skin was now covered in a light sheen of cold sweat, brought about by his sudden loss of control. While at first glance her eyes had held a trace of determination and strength, she now seemed drained.

Two minutes in the presence of Hisana's treasured sister and he had already made a grievous error.

Of course he had.

What reason would she have now to accept the adoption offer? He had terrified her. What person in the right mind would accept being his adoptive sister after he had practically attacked them?

The servant had finished explaining the proposal, and Rukia had begun to fidget uncomfortably, whether she noticed or not. And he saw that same spark of determination ignite in her eyes again, with a mix of what looked like anger.

She opened her mouth to speak, "I—,"

The door opened with considerable force, a red-haired student rushing into the room, "Rukia! How do you like me now! I passed the second phase! Now if I pass the…next…"

The boy had looked up to see who Rukia was speaking to. Byakuya noticed the boy staring at him, analytically, it seemed. He watched the realization of his station settle into the boy's face as it became frozen with his childish excitement over his grades.

His _reiatsu _flared again, but he did not rein it in. Rukia had already suffered from it, so it was safe to assume it would not shock her a second time. It was the boy he wanted to intimidate, if only subtly. This meeting could not have gone much worse, and the red-headed statue frozen just inside the doorway was not helping his mood.

'_Neither of us is in any mental condition to consider this further. In either case, her mind is likely made up. I've failed as an older brother before I've even begun,' _he thought darkly, disgusted with himself as he left the room, and Rukia, behind.

* * *

"She is…healthy, Hisana," Byakuya managed to choke out. He stood in front of Hisana's memorial portrait on a wall of candles and other deceased members of the family – like his parents.

Coming here never elicited anything but grief for him, particularly with Hisana's passing so fresh in his life. He always made sure to come at night – it had been their favorite time of day, and if he came at night, the chance that a member of the family would come by accident and catch him with tear tracks on his face was much less likely.

'_I think…I think I've already begun to fail in what you've asked me to do. But at the very least, whether she agrees to enter the family or not, I will do everything to ensure her safety.' _He lapsed into simply speaking to her in his mind. Did it matter, in the end?

'_I do not wish to cause her pain by being thrust into a new life, as you were. If you were ever aggrieved by something I could have fixed…I promise I will not fail you by letting her experience the same grief.' _

'_I will protect her, as you asked. I will not tell her the truth. However, for whatever it may be worth…'_

"…I think she would prefer you as a sister than me as a brother."


End file.
